The Old Parting
by SamCyberCat
Summary: It was time to say goodbye to Anzu and Yuugi wasn’t sure how to take it. Yuugi/Anzu.


Notes – Set post-DM by a few years. I wrote this one because I felt people were voting for 'When Yuugi Met Anzu' on the previous poll because they thought it would be a Yuugi/Anzu story, when it isn't at all. But since I did want to write the two anyway this came to the surface. It was actually the first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic that I planned to write, originally a prelude to another story which I can definitely say now was a terrible disaster that was better off not being written. But this story itself I felt could stand alone. I know this has probably been done countless times before but I wanted to try it myself.

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There were things in life that you always knew were coming but never really considered actually happen. These things seemed to be permanently in the future, they were tomorrow's goals but never today's.

And when those things eventually do come to pass you can be left wondering what in the world had happened.

Yuugi was currently in that boat. As he sat up at the desk in his room one night. It was a comfort place. Ever since he'd solved the Sennen Puzzle he felt at ease trying to figure out his problems here, even though the Pharaoh had been gone for at least a few years now...

So he had this friend. This wasn't unusual, because he had lots of friends now, but this one friend had been with him since he was a child. She'd defended him from bullies since as far back as he could remember. And if anyone was to make an assumption that he might have a small crush on her than they wouldn't be entirely wrong. Not that he'd ever admit it.

That would be even less likely now, after the... the news had arrived.

He hated himself for feeling bad about it, and of course he was proud of her achievements, but at the same time he couldn't stop that knot in his throat, even as she told him. He wouldn't cry though, Jounouchi had taught him to be a man so he couldn't cry.

The thing about Anzu was that she had goals for her future. Given that everyone did, but she'd had her goal longer than anyone Yuugi knew. She thought they were unrealistic, so she'd hidden them from the others for a while, but they all knew she had it in her to do it when she finally had told them.

And it turned out she did.

She was leaving to New York to study dancing professionally.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise at all, she'd been saying that she would for so long, but somehow he'd never expected it to be happening now as opposed to 'in a few years time'. Down the line they'd all got so caught up with saving the world from various enemies that any sort of normal goals they had were pushed to aside.

Now that it was all over they had to adjust to not having anything supernatural to deal with and it just happened that Anzu had hit the ground running. He wasn't quite sure where he stood on adjusting himself.

The group had quietly thought it might be tough for her to get back to normality, because of her feelings for the Pharaoh, but she seemed to have just used that as motivation to knuckle down and get on with her life. It wasn't long before she'd got them all together to announce that she'd be leaving the next day.

So that brought him to where he was now, sitting in his room and, honestly, sulking about it. In his own way. He hardly even heard as the door was pushed open and his grandpa made his way across.

"Are you all right, Yuugi?" Sugoroku asked, concerned.

"Hm? Oh, sure. I'm fine," was the not-very-convincing reply.

Moving over to lean on the desk, Sugoroku replied, "It's Anzu, isn't it? You can't fool me; I've known you longer than you've known her even."

Putting down the console he'd been playing on, Yuugi turned to look at the older man. It was hard to lie to him. Not that he'd want to usually but they didn't often have talks like this.

"I'm glad that she's doing what she wants," he said, and hoped that he meant it, "It's just going to take a while to adjust to her not being around..."

"She has been by your side through a lot," Sugoroku agreed.

"And I want to do the same for her," Yuugi assured quietly.

Nodding, Sugoroku said, "But that's the problem, you need to let her go and not stand by her side if you want to help her."

"Yes..."

He couldn't stop himself from choking up now.

Feeling sympathy for his grandson's situation, Sugoroku leaned forward to pat him on the shoulder. The cogs in his mind were working. He didn't want to see him torn away from the friends he'd made anymore than anyone else did...

"How much do you want to help her?"

"What sort of question is that?" Yuugi spluttered, through the tears that were forming regardless of Jounouchi's talks about manliness, "I would do anything to help her. If she wanted me to be there then I'd drop everything I could!"

"I thought as much..." Sugoroku sounded grave, which silenced Yuugi, "But she's a proud girl. She'd never ask for help if she could avoid it. Maybe there is something we could do about that."

He was right about Anzu not being able to admit to her problems. When the day came for her to board the plane that would take her to New York she was nervous. She couldn't show it though. What would they all think of her if she backed out now? No, she had to face them and wave them off with a smile. Wave them off not knowing when she'd see them again.

As she walked towards the boarding aisle she looked back to see them all. The ones who'd come to see her off. Honda and Jounouchi were there was a given, she'd have never let them off the hook if they'd missed it, but also Ryou had managed to turn up and she was surprised to see that Otogi had taken time away from his busy schedule to see her off. As her eyes moved from one face to a moment it suddenly dawned on her who wasn't there.

Yuugi. He would miss saying goodbye?

She looked over at Sugoroku, who had turned up, and while she meaningfully made eye-contact with him he just shook his head and didn't smile.

Maybe this had been too hard for Yuugi after all...

With that doubt inside her she waved to the others, looking as cheerful as she could manage, then boarded. Once the plane had pulled away she had all the time to frown that she needed.

As she moved to put her hand luggage away a very meek voice sounded from next to her.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Sorry but everyone has to sit where- ...Yuugi!" she gasped, staring across at the sheepishly looking face of the small boy. It took her sitting down for them to come close to being level in height.

"I think it'll be all right if I sit here, um, they said it would be anyway," he said, and awkward would have been an understatement for that tone.

"What are you doing here? This doesn't make any sense," she stammered, staring at him through wide eyes.

"Well... it's not the most planned decision in the world, but I talked about it with grandpa and he said that you've been by my side through everything. And you'd be really nervous about going to another country on your own. So if I came with you maybe it wouldn't be so hard for you," he said.

Shaking her head, she said, "It would have cost you so much money, and you have your own future to think of!"

"We're all graduated now Anzu," he answered, amazed that he could argue with her, "I know it might not seem like much but I really do want to take on the shop after grandpa and it's not like you guys haven't had your education affected to help me in the past. As for the money, well, I don't know about that. But grandpa said it was all covered..." He seemed doubtful about that last part.

"This doesn't make any sense," she said, shaking slightly.

Edging into the seat, Yuugi said, "Can it not make any sense for a little while longer?"

She looked at him, took it all in, and smiled.

"Sure, I'd be fine with that."

Back at the airport Jounouchi turned to Sugoroku and said, "I can't believe you let him do this."

"I encouraged him," the man assured.

"But... but New York is a big place and Yuugi's such a little guy."

"Well Anzu's protected him from bullies before," Sugoroku said pointedly.

Taking the hint Jounouchi shut up, turning to watch the plane disappear from sight. The others all joined him in that.

It wasn't an easy choice, and Sugoroku would definitely feel losing his only grandson, but those two needed each other and if Yuugi let her go now he might never get another chance. It hadn't been cheap either, especially at the last minute, but when Sugoroku's wife had passed away she'd left her savings to him. Told him to spend it on something that would make him happy. He'd kept it for years, but had finally decided that seeing his grandson happy was what really made him feel happy.

He watched the plane until well after it was gone. And small tears rolled down his wrinkled face.

Because Sugoroku was someone who knew that there were times when men could cry.


End file.
